Whenever I fall at your feet
by miss mason
Summary: A/U Season 4, Episode 1 - The beginning of Reddie! Please R
1. Chapter 1 Rachel

**A/U Episode 1, Season 4 – NO MEDDIE!**

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 1 - Rachel**

What a day! And it was only 11.15. Rachel Mason had been nervous about returning to her job as head teacher of Waterloo Road, only weeks earlier she's sustained major injuries in a fire that had destroyed not only part of the school, but a part of Rachel with it. What was worse, the entire staff and student body knew about her past as Amanda, a life she'd long left behind but could never forget. She had been touched by the kid's rendition of 'Welcome Home' and warmed by the teacher's heartfelt messages of welcome back, she really did feel at home, well...almost!

Something, or rather, someone continued to play on Rachel's mind. On the day of the fire, the first day in ages she's made it to morning break without having to deal with any major dramas and the first time a while that she'd felt truly happy, he'd asked her out. She was surprised at how excited she'd been, yes, they'd shared an effortless banter and she'd dropped her defences around him but it hadn't been til that moment that she'd realised how she really felt about him; her colleague, her deputy, her friend, her Eddie! He'd seemed genuinely pleased to see her this morning but she wasn't sure that it didn't have more to do with wanting to get out of the office and back to the classroom than anything else. She'd realised that he'd been the one behind the choir at assembly, then when, just 5 minutes ago, he'd asked her to join him for a drink after school, he looked so deeply into her eyes that she was sure he was trying to read her thoughts. She just couldn't believe it, did he still feel something for her? She didn't even know if she still felt the same, so much had changed, she'd changed.

He knew about Amanda, how could he still have feelings for her? How could he even look her in the eye? She didn't know what to think any more. Rachel snapped out of her day dream when the bell rang to signal the end of break. She sighed, picked up her coffee cup, flicked on the CD player in her office and settled down to go through the hundreds of e-mails Eddie had saved for her.

Focussed on the screen in front of her, Rachel was taken by surprise when a tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the desk, why was she crying? She'd been reading about the teaching budget for next year, not good news but nothing to cry about! She sat back in her chair, then realised it must have been the music, the CD playing had some tracks from the musicals and the current lyrics had struck a chord even though she hadn't really been listening!

_I don't know how to love him_

_What do to, how to move him_

_I've been changed, yes, really changed_

_In these past few days, when I've seen myself_

_I seem like someone else_

_I don't know how to take this_

_I don't see why he moves me_

_He's a man, he's just a man_

_And I've had so many men before_

_In very many ways, he's just one more_

That's just it, she though to herself, he's not just a man, he's Eddie Lawson!

_AN - This is my first fic, I've got a few more chapters, please R&R and if you like it, I'll add more!_


	2. Chapter 2 Eddie

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 2 – Eddie**

Eddie Lawson had been looking forward to this day for weeks and even though he knew today was the day, his stomach still flipped when she'd appeared at the office door and said those first words "What's wrong with this picture?". Eddie had really missed her and couldn't hide his grin, to be honest he didn't want want to hide it! He had already warned her to take it easy, he didn't want her to risk doing too much, too soon and end up having to take more time off, he didn't think he could bear it! He was pleased to have her back, but knowing her like he did, he could tell how nervous she was, he could see it in her eyes though she tried hard to hide it. He'd known that's how she would feel which is why he'd been planning her welcome back assembly with music teacher, Matt and she'd loved it!

He knew how hard it was going to be for her to get back on the same stage where, only a few short weeks ago, her whole world had come crashing down around her and when she'd thanked him for organising it, he hoped she could see how proud he was of her. Rachel Mason was the strongest, bravest, most infuriating and most beautiful woman he'd ever known, yes, she had a colourful past but she'd moved on with such dignity and grace that Eddie was in complete awe of her. If anything, her revelation and the subsequent events had made him love her even more but Eddie was confused. When he'd asked her earlier to go for a drink at the end of the day, she'd seemed distant, maybe he'd imagined it but he felt like she was giving him the brush off, he'd searched her eyes for the answer but had to resolve to speak to her later when they were interrupted by a fight in the playground.

Eddie had been listening to the radio that morning whilst driving to work and had been absent mindedly singing the last song he'd heard while marking the year 10 maths papers, it was only now that he really understood the lyrics.

_You're hiding from me now_

_There's something about the way you're talking_

_Words don't sound right_

_But I hear them all moving inside you_

_Go, I'll be waiting for your call_

_Hey, and whenever I fall at your feet_

_Won't let your tears rain down on me_

_Whenever I touch your slow burning pain..._

It was all so true, she'd been through so much and he wanted to protect her, save her from further heartache. He'd wait as long as it took for her to let him in.


	3. Chapter 3 The Pub

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 3 – The Pub**

When the last bell rang at 15.30, Rachel couldn't believe the day was already over, there was so much she still wanted to get done. When Eddie came in to check on her, she'd tried telling him she was going to stay on for a bit but he was having none of it.

"For goodness sake Rach, it's only your first day back!"

She'd smiled to herself when he'd called her Rach, she loved that he was the only person who ever did. She scolded herself, it could never work, now now.

"But Eddie, it'll only take an hour, I'll meet you there"

"Absolutely not Rachel, I know you"

He'd come round to where she was sitting, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, just as they always did when he was close by, he leaned over her and switched off the computer.

"C'mon, get your jacket, we're leaving!"

"Well, it doesn't seem like I have much choice, does it, Mr Lawson?"

He gave her a cheeky grin which she couldn't help but mirror as a smile spread across her face. She liked the fact that he'd told her to leave, normally it was her bossing him around and she loved that, for once, someone was looking after her.

As the pair walked the 10 minutes from the school to the local pub, Rachel chatted incessantly about work; budgets, reviews, inspections, curriculum, problem kids, problem staff. Eddie went along with it, nodding in all the right places. He was glad to have her back at work, he'd been running the place just fine but he didn't have the enthusiasm or drive that she did, he was much more comfortable inspiring young minds in the classroom, or keeping them out of trouble in the cooler.

When they arrived at the pub, some of the staff were already sitting around one of the tables to the left of the bar but there was no more space. Eddie was secretly pleased, he gave Tom Clarkson and Davina Shackleton a wave before indicating that he and Rachel would take a small sofa near the door for now. As Rachel sat down and checked her mobile, Eddie went to the bar and got the drinks in, he put the two glasses on the table and settled on the sofa beside her.

"Thanks, Eddie" She smiled, before launching into another school relating topic.

"Rachel?" he ventured but she didn't stop.

"Rachel?" he tried again but she was so caught up in talking about an upcoming governor's meeting. He reached out and took her hand.

"Rach?" She stopped.

"Enough about school Rachel, that can all wait until tomorrow, let's talk about something else"

She looked down, now very aware that he was still touching her hand, she moved it to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry Eddie. It's just so great to be back"

"And it's great to have you back but I don't want to talk shop all night!" He laughed.

They both picked up their glasses, "A toast" he said, "to being back" Rachel grinned, their glasses clinked and they held each other's gaze for longer than necessary, both smiling with only their eyes. Rachel looked away first, she put her glass back on the table. Rachel began to panic, she had no idea what to say to him that wasn't work related and she could feel him looking at her, she blushed.

For the second time that evening, Eddie reached out to her, he put a finger under her chin and tilted her face so she was looking at him. He looked deep into her eyes, the way that always made her blush despite her best efforts not to

"Can I ask you something?" he said

"You just did!" She replied nervously smiled back at him, he looked at her face, searching for an answer, she closed her eyes and nodded yes.

"How are you, Rachel, really?"

She drew back from him, putting as much distance as she could between them.

"I'm fine, Eddie" she said, tears threatening to spill out. Eddie could tell she was far from fine.

"Rachel, please don't shut me out!" He pleaded. He looked so hurt, Rachel could bear that she'd caused it. She lifted her glass, finished her drink and sighed, just as Eddie was sure she was going to leave, she took a deep breath.

"Ok Eddie, let's talk but not here. My place is just around the corner, let's go there. There's some whisky in the cupboard, think we're both going to need it!" she said with a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4 Rachel's House

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 4 – Rachel's House**

Rachel and Eddie walked the five minutes to Rachel's house in a comfortable silence, neither one feeling the need to speak. Eddie noticed how she had pulled her coat tightly around her, even though it wasn't cold, as if trying to keep out the world. Rachel saw the concern on his face and smiled at him reassuringly. She had no idea what she was going to say to Eddie about the last few weeks but she did know she was going to be honest, she'd had enough of keeping secrets.

Rachel unlocked the door, stepped inside and hung up her coat, Eddie followed her in and, as if he'd been there a thousand times before, he threw his jacket over the banister, kicked off his shoes and flopped onto one end of the brown leather sofa. Rachel reappeared with a bottle of whisky and two glasses, it was the same kind of whisky they'd drank last year when Eddie had handed in his resignation, she smiled to herself as she remembered how happy she'd been when he said he'd stay. She sat down on the opposite end of the sofa to where he was sitting and poured the drinks, she handed one to Eddie and they both took a long sip.

"So...?" he said. Rachel began to speak quietly.

"I'm not going to lie to you Eddie, the past few weeks have been the most difficult time of my life..."

"Oh Rach..." He interrupted

"Eddie, please! Just let me speak or I'll never get this out"

"OK" he promised

"When Stuart walked into the hall that day, I knew he was about to destroy everything of the life I'd built for myself and completely ruin my reputation, I didn't expect him to destroy the school as well. When the ceiling came down, I thought I was going to die"

Eddie reached over and took her hand, his eyes glistening with tears. "Rachel.." he began.

"Eddie, please!"

He nodded for her to continue but didn't let go of her hand.

"When I first woke up in the hospital, I was in a very dark place and I really wished I hadn't made it (she notice how he winced at this), but I soon realised that I'd been given another chance, a chance to be Rachel Mason but this time, without all the secrets, the head governor came to see me and told me that my job at Waterloo Road was waiting for me whenever I felt well enough to return, I knew then that I had something to fight for. I put everything I had into getting better as quickly as possible and now that I'm back, I'm going to do all the things I promised I would do and more, if the students can accept my past and that I've moved on, the so can I"

Eddie smiled at her, amazed by her spirit and determination, Rachel continued.

"But Eddie, none of that was the worst part, none of it even comes close. The hardest thing I've ever had to do was tell you about my past, I am so ashamed and embarrassed by it and when I was telling you, I could see a look of disgust in your face, that look will stay with me forever and it's all I can think about every time you look at me"

Her breath caught in her throat and she blinked back the tears, she realised that she'd been staring at the floor the whole time she'd been speaking, she took a deep breath and looked over at Eddie and saw that he was silently crying.

"Rachel.." his voice faltered. He tried again

"Rach, I don't know what to say"

"That's a first" she said with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Eddie took a sip of his drink and tried again.

"Rachel, I admit to being shocked when I first found out about your past but I appreciated your honesty, the look you describe wasn't disgust, it was horror – but not at you, at that what you'd been through, it tore me apart that those things had happened to you and that you'd never been able to tell me, even when that bastard Hordley was using them to blackmail you. I was totally amazed when you explained how you'd managed to escape that world and had gotten yourself an education, the way you've handled everything since then is truly awe-inspiring"

Embarrassed by the compliments she was sure she didn't deserve, Rachel looked away.

"Look at me Rachel" he ordered, and she did.

"Rachel Mason, you are the bravest, most incredible, most beautiful woman I have ever met and nothing could ever change that. I am completely head over heels in love with you and everything that has happened in the past has made you who you are today, the woman I love!"

"Oh Eddie" tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, "That's such a beautiful thing to say, but are you sure?"

Eddie moved to kneel in front of her, he put his hands on either side of her face and he looked at her so intensely as he reassured her that he'd meant every word and that he had never been more sure about anything. This time, instead of blushing, Rachel looked back at him with the same intensity, now they'd talked, there were no more secrets, she had nothing left to hide. Putting her hands over his, she whispered

"Eddie?"

"Yes, Rach" he answered, without taking his eyes of hers.

"I love you too!"

Before Eddie had a chance to react, Rachel had taken the lead, she leant forward and kissed him softly. Eddie was surprised that she'd kissed him first but it didn't take long for him to kiss her back. Opening his eyes to check she was ok with this, Eddie saw that she was crying and pulled away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing Eddie, nothing at all"

"But Rachel you're crying!" he said, the concern etched across his face.

"They're happy tears" She smiled as he wiped them away with his thumb.

"You sure?" he checked

"Yes Eddie, I'm sure" she said as she leaned over to kiss him again.


	5. Chapter 5 Later that night

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 5 – Later that night**

It was getting late, 22.30 on a school night! Rachel and Eddie had spent the evening getting to know each other, they'd talked about their families, their hopes, their ambitions and their fears. They'd talked about TV shows they liked and their favourite music, Rachel laughed when Eddie had said he liked country music, she explained how she was imagining him in a Stetson and cowboy boots and he'd pretended to be offended, the reality was that he didn't care how much she mocked him, he just loved to hear her laugh, she had such a beautiful and infectious laugh. He'd gotten him own back though, when he'd gone to change the CD and found a Daniel O'Donnell CD at the bottom of the pile.

"Excuse me, Miss Mason, you've got some cheek laughing at my taste in music when you have this in your collection!"

"Got what?" She'd asked, for all she was the headmistress, she was only 38 and considered herself to be quite trendy, music-wise at least.

"This!" He said as he popped the offending item into the CD player, not letting her see the box. As the crooning began, she'd tried explaining that it had been a gift.

"Oh, don't try to deny it Mason" he grinned "if this is your taste in music then I think I might have made a mistake in telling you how I felt" he joked

She laughed, "I was just thinking the same thing, I'm scared you might break into a line dance at any time"

"What? Like this!" He started doing some sort of dance around her sitting room. Rachel couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed like this, he saw her laughing at him and couldn't help but start to laugh himself. He danced his way over to her, flopped on top of her and pinned her to the sofa and as a new wave of giggles overcame her, he kissed her, putting a stop to the giggling but she soon pushed him off.

"I can't breathe Eddie" She giggled in between gasping for air.

"Serves you right for laughing at my moves!" He kissed her again and this time, instead of laughing and pushing him away, she pulled him closer and ran her fingers through his hair, his hands moved lower and encircled her waist as the kiss became more passionate. This time, it was Eddie who broke away.

"I think I'd better get going" He said, breathing heavily, Rachel looked worried.

"Don't worry Rach, I've not changed my mind, if it was up to my body, I'd be taking you upstairs right now but I don't want to rush this and I know that if I don't go now, I won't be able to stop. I want to do this properly, I want to take you out on a proper date, I want it to be special!"

Rachel's expression changed to one of relief.

"You mean, you don't regret tonight?"

"No Rach, I don't and I never will, I'm the happiest man in the world right now and it's all because of you"

He kissed her softly on the lips.

"Goodnight Rachel"

"Goodnight Eddie"

Rachel had seen him out and locked up behind him, a song she'd heard earlier playing in her mind.

_Remember those walls I built_

_Well, baby they're tumbling down_

_And they didn't even put up a fight_

_They didn't even make a sound_

_I found a way to let you in_

_But I never really had a doubt_

_Standing in the light of your halo_

_I got my angel now_

_It's like I've been awakened_

_Every rule I had you breakin'_

_It's the risk that I'm takin'_

_I ain't never gonna shut you out_

_Everywhere I'm looking now_

_I'm surrounded by your embrace_

_Baby I can see your halo_

_You know you're my saving grace_

_You're everything I need and more_

_It's written all over your face_

_Baby I can feel your halo_

_Pray it won't fade away_

_I can feel your halo halo halo_

_I can see your halo halo halo_

_I can feel your halo halo halo_

_I can see your halo halo halo_

_Hit me like a ray of sun_

_Burning through my darkest night_

_You're the only one that I want_

_Think I'm addicted to your light_

_I swore I'd never fall again_

_But this don't even feel like falling_

_Gravity can't forget_

_To pull me back to the ground again_

_Feels like I've been awakened_

_Every rule I had you breakin'_

_It's the risk that I'm takin'_

_I'm never gonna shut you out_

_Everywhere I'm looking now_

_I'm surrounded by your embrace_

_Baby I can see your halo_

_You know you're my saving grace_

_You're everything I need and more _

_It's written all over your face_

_Baby I can feel your halo_

_Pray it won't fade away_

_I can feel your halo halo halo_

_I can see your halo halo halo_

_I can feel your halo halo halo_

_I can see your halo halo halo_

Rachel smiled to herself and got ready for bed. That night, she didn't have nightmares about the file, or Stuart Hordley, she fell asleep with a smile playing on her lips. It's not hard to imagine what, or rather who, she was dreaming about!


	6. Chapter 6 The morning after

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 6 – The morning after the night before**

Rachel had woken up at 6.30, she felt refreshed, she hadn't slept so well since before the whole drama with Stuart Hordley had begun. She'd sang along with the radio as she's gotten dressed, she'd picked out a lovely dark green, leaf print wrap dress to wear, she didn't feel like wearing her usual suit and had put on some sexy heels. By 8.00, she was already sitting at her desk and was busy working away. She'd heard him whistling down the corridor before she'd seen him, she had butterflies. 'Don't be stupid Rachel' she scolded herself 'you see Eddie every morning, why should today be any different?' She couldn't help it though, she felt nervous.

"Hi gorgeous" he greeted her as he leaned over the desk for a kiss. All her nerves disappeared ans she grinned at him.

"Morning"

"Can you believe it Eddie?"

Eddie was a little distracted, he was checking out and appreciating the outfit she'd chosen, it was stunning and showed of her slender figure but wasn't too risqué for school.

"Believe what?"

"Us Eddie, can you believe there's an us?"

He reached out and held her hand across the desk, and replied

"I think I'm starting to but if this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up!" He lifted her hand and kissed her palm, "you and I are most definitely an us!"

"I love that Eddie"

"I love you Rachel"

"and I love you too but can you please explain what you've done to my filing system while I've been away, I can't find a bloody thing!"

"Filing system?!" he raised an eyebrow "I thought they were just drawers for storage!"

"Oh Eddie! It'll take ages to sort out and..."

He put a finger over her lips

"Sssh, I'm joking! Here, I'll show you"

Eddie explained the new system and she was actually impressed.

"Wow Eddie, not just a pretty face!" Look back at him over her shoulder, she smiled at him.

"Thanks! I can't take all the credit though, I had a little help"

"Who?" She asked

"Steph" came the answer

"Well, who'd have thought it?" She laughed

Eddie was just about to leave to go to his year 9 registration class but couldn't resist one more kiss, he pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips, Rachel relaxed into his arms and kissed him back. They were interrupted by Tom Clarkson walking in to the office.

"Sorry guys" he blushed "I should have knocked"

"Yes, you should" glared Eddie, but his face soften when he heard Rachel laugh

"Chill out Eddie!"

"It's ok Tom, just keep it to yourself for now though"

"Yeah no problem, you guys are just lucky I wasn't Steph!" They all laughed before Tom spoke again.

"Seriously though, I'm glad you two have sorted things out, I couldn't tell which way it was going to go when you left the pub last night. I'll come back later, Rachel, it's nothing that can't wait"

"Thanks Tom, drop by after registration, I've got some time then"

As Tom left the office, Rachel turned to Eddie

"I'd totally forgotten that some of the staff were in the pub last night, what must they be thinking?"

"Who cares, Rachel? All I care about is being with you"

"Yes, me too Eddie and I don't care who knows it!"

"Well, perhaps not Steph for now, eh?!"

They both laughed, Eddie kissed Rachel again before running off so as not to be late for his first class.


	7. Chapter 7 1:48

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

_**A/N – Thanks for the reviews guys, there's a lot more of this story to come, I have lots of ideas! **_

**CHAPTER 7 – 1:48**

It had been a long and uneventful morning at Waterloo Road, much to Rachel's annoyance, today of all days she needed the distraction. She'd been sat in her office all morning with a pile of paperwork but she hadn't even made a start on it, she'd been too busy day dreaming about Eddie and watching the clock to see how long to go until break. When the bell finally rang Rachel started counting, it wasn't long til he arrived in her office.

"One minute and forty eight seconds"

Eddie looked confused. "What?"

"One minute and forty eight seconds" She smiled

"Rachel, what the hell are you talking about?"

"One minute and forty eight seconds is the exact amount of time between the bell ringing and you arriving in my office. I'm impressed!" She laughed

Eddie was pleased to see that she'd paid so much attention.

"Oh, did I not tell you that I was a champion sprinter in high school?"

"No, you never did, though that was a few years ago now" She joked.

"Yeah, but I've still got it" he smiled as she came round the desk and kissed him.

"Yes, you do!" she kissed him again.

"Cuppa?"

"Yes, please" he replied.

As Rachel made the coffee, Eddie sat down and noticed the pile of paperwork still sitting on the desk from that morning.

"So Rach, what did you do this morning whilst I off teaching 3 maths lessons?"

"Paperwork" She responded, still occupied with the coffee

"Really?"

"Yes, really"

"Then why are the same files from this morning still sitting in the same place?"

"Well, I..."

"Go on" he smirked

"What do you want me to say Eddie? That I've been sat here all morning not doing anything except counting down the minutes to break" She put down his coffee and before she could straighten up he caught her arm, her face inches from his.

"Yes, if it's true"

"It is" she blushed "and we're going to have to go on this date soon or I'm never going to get any work done!"

Eddie smiled then kissed her.

"So, tonight?" he asked

"Tonight's good" she replied as the bell rang

"Pick you up at seven" he said

"OK"

"See you later"

"Not if I see you first" she smiled as Eddie blew her a kiss and left her to it.

'Focus Rachel' she said to herself as she finally got started on some paperwork. About an hour later, she was already bored and decided to take a walk, just to check that everything was as it should be.


	8. Chapter 8 Walkabout

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

_**A/N – this chapter is a bit different but I like it :) **_

**CHAPTER 8 – Walkabout**

Rachel enjoyed walking round the school, when she saw all the kids in lessons and most of them paying attention, she was proud of what they'd achieved in the short time she'd been the head.

She walked through the music department where she could see Matt teaching Sambuca Kelly's class, who would have thought those two would get along so well? Matt noticed her and gave her a wave and the kids all suddenly stood up straighter which made her smiler, they still held so much respect for her.

Next she passed Kim Campbell's art class, Kim looked impassioned about something and the kids seemed to be enthralled so she didn't want to disturb them and moved on.

Passing by the Pastoral Care office, she could see Tom listening to Hannah McLaren, a year 8 who'd had a tough time lately but thanks to Tom was getting back on track, he really was brilliant at what he did.

Next stop was the English department where it was a tale of two halves! In the first class, Grantley Budgeon was sitting with his feet up on the desk and kept shouting at the class to write quietly. The kids didn't have much respect for the poor man but they seemed to get decent enough results regardless and besides he wasn't that far off retirement. In the next classroom, Jasmine Koreshi was walking up and down between the desks, interacting with the students and by the look on her face, she was getting the answers that she wanted. Fairly newly qualified and though she needed to learn that everything didn't have to be done by the book, Jasmine was growing in confidence and was shaping up to be an excellent teacher.

If only the same could be said for Steph Haydock! The woman left Rachel exasperated but the kids seemed to like her and to her credit, she could control a class but when Rachel passed her classroom and saw her sitting on the desk, wearing brightly coloured clothes, a size too small and chatting with the students, she was sure that there was not much French being learned. Still, you could always rely on Steph for the latest gossip!

Passing through the library she saw Davina Shackleton at the books, it was a big jump from classroom assistant to teacher but if the work she'd done with Karla was anything to go by, Davina could do it, especially having Tom and Jasmine to support her.

Walking past the cooler, she was pleased, though a little surprised, to find it empty. Eddie was sitting at the desk with some papers sitting in front of him, obviously taking the opportunity to do some marking whilst it was quiet. Rachel watched him for about 5 minutes in which time he hadn't marked a single paper!

"Hello, Mr Lawson. Busy, are we?" Eddie jumped, he hadn't heard her come in.

"Rachel! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see that there's not much marking getting done!"

"What do you want me to say Rachel? That I've been sat here not doing anything, counting down the minutes until you decided to walk past the cooler."

She recognised her own words from earlier and smiled.

"Yes, if it's true"

"It is! Thank goodness we've already arranged our date for tonight!"

"Do I get to know what we're doing?"

"Sorry Rach, no but wear something nice"

"What do you mean, Mr Lawson? All my clothes are nice!" She pretended to be offended.

"I didn't mean it like that, Rachel" he flustered

"Calm down, I know what you meant Eddie" She laughed

"Right, I'll see you later then" she said as she kissed him, pulling away just as Bolton Smilie walked past the door.

"Lunch?" he questioned

"Can't, sorry. I'm going off site for a meeting with the LEA, they'll probably have words seeing as I'm so behind with my paperwork" she rolled her eyes.

"Any trouble, tell me and I'll come over and sort them out" he winked.

"See you later"

"That you will" Eddie said as he watched her walk off.

_**A/N – next chapter First Date – coming soon**_


	9. Chapter 9 First Date

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

_**A/N – Thanks for all your lovely updates, I've struggled with this chapter, think it was a case of writer's block I caught after last week's episode! The next one is looking much better.**_

**CHAPTER 9 – First Date**

Rachel's meeting had been due to finish at 16.30, it was now almost 17.30 and she was anxious to get away, she had a 30 minute drive ahead of here and she wanted to enjoy getting ready for her date with Eddie.

"So, if we're all agreed on that, I think we can call it a day" the chairman said

Thank God, she thought to herself, she was glad the meeting hadn't been about Waterloo Road specifically because she hadn't really been listening for the last hour. She'd just have to wait until she got the minutes by e-mail to find out what she'd agreed too!

As the other attendees stood around chatting before heading off for the customary post-meeting drink, Rachel packed her things and put on her coat.

"Not coming for a drink tonight Rachel?" Geoff, the finance controller asked

"Not tonight, Geoff, I've got plans" she replied

"Plans, eh?" He raised an eyebrow

"Yes, plans" she smiled back. She knew Geoff was happy for her, he was in his late 60s and had really looked out for her, she was sure that it was because of him, and Eddie too of course, that she still had her job at Waterloo Road and for that, she would be forever grateful.

"Well, have fun" he said

"I will" she grinned, giving him a wave as she left the office.

When she got home, she flew in the door and stripped off as she ran up the stairs and straight into the shower, she had less than an hour to get ready and she had no idea what she was going to wear. Ten minutes later, she was stood in front of her wardrobe trying to pick something to wear, Eddie had said to wear something nice. She decided on a raspberry coloured shift dress, with a black patent bow belt and matching black patent peep toe heels. She dried her hair, did her make up and was just about to put in some diamond earrings when the door bell rang.

"Typical!" she said to herself, "always running late for meetings but gets here tonight ten minutes early!"

Her heart skipped a beat and all was forgiven as soon as she opened the door to reveal Eddie, or rather Eddie's legs, his top half was obscured by one of the biggest and most beautiful bouquets of flowers she'd ever seen.

"Hi, sorry I'm early but I've been ready for ages and I just couldn't wait any longer. These are for you"

"Thanks, Eddie, they're gorgeous"

"So are you" he said, taking a minute to appreciate her outfit, she looked amazing

"You don't scrub up too badly yourself! Come on in, I'm nearly ready"

Rachel took the flowers from him and walked through to the kitchen to put them in some water, leaving Eddie in the hall.

"Rachel?" She heard him call through to her

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking that I would never have expected you to be so messy when you're _so _tidy and organised at work"

"What are you talking about?" She reappeared with a confused look on her face.

"The clothes" he gestured toward the clothes she'd stripped off earlier as she ran which she now realised were still strewn all the way up the stairs. She laughed.

"Oh those! My meeting ran over and I didn't have much time to get ready so I multi-tasked and undressed whilst climbing the stairs"

"And here was I thinking that Geoff had made a move!" he grinned.

"Oh, shut up Eddie" She punched him playfully on the arm.

"I'll be back in a minute or two, make yourself at home" she said, not that she needed too as Eddie was already headed for her sofa.

Rachel scooped up the clothes and put them in the laundry before going back to her dressing table. She put in her earrings, checked her hair and make up and put on a few squirts of perfume. She picked out a black clutch bag and put her things in it before grabbing a cropped black jacket from behind the door and closing it behind her. As she descended the stairs, she stopped to watch Eddie who was sitting on the sofa, flicking through a magazine. She couldn't believe how luck she was. Eddie felt her eyes on him and turned round to see her stood on the stairs, he couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"Ready?" he asked

"Sure am" she replied. As she locked the door behind them, Eddie hugged her from behind making her fumble with her keys.

"Having some trouble?" he whispered in her ear

She turned her head and kissed him as she slid the key into the lock and locked the door.

"Not at all Mr Lawson"

"I'm impressed, there's no way I could even think about anything else if you were distracting me like that!"

"but you're much easier to distract" she teased

Once they were buckled in to Eddie's car and on their way, Rachel asked him to tell her where they were going.

"You'll find out soon enough" was the only answer she could get

Usually she hated not knowing things, she wasn't spontaneous like that and liked to be prepared but she was quite enjoying this, she was excited. Must have something to do with Eddie, she thought, he had a way of making her think, and feel, things she never would have before. Lost in her own thoughts, Rachel hadn't paid any attention to where he was driving them to and was a more than a little surprised when he stopped the car in an empty car park in what appeared to be the middle of no where.

"Eddie, where on earth are we?" she asked

He just grinned in response, then told her to wait in the car.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a minute"

She watched him as he walked up a narrow footpath and could see him signal something to someone on the other side of the trees. What was he up to? She wondered as he walked back to the car, he opened her door, offering her his hand which she accepted despite not needing the help. Eddie closed the door but kept her hand in his.

"Oh no, I've forgotten something" he exclaimed.

"What is it? Do you want to go back?"

"No need, I just forgot to do this" he said, pulling her close and kissing her. He could feel her smiling against his lips.

"Well, we'll just need to make sure you don't forget again" she said, kissing him again.

"Now will you please tell me what we're doing in the middle of no where?"

"Follow me" he said, as he locked the car and led her by the hand up the path and through the trees at the top, revealing a beautiful boating lake. The lake was lit by hundreds of multi-coloured Chinese lanterns hanging from the surrounding trees, their light reflecting on the water's surface.

"Oh Eddie, it's just beautiful" she said, tugging on his hand causing him to turn to face her. They stood for a few seconds just looking at each other, Eddie noticed how her eyes were sparkling like the water behind him. She pressed her lips to his in a short but meaningful kiss. Eddie grinned and turned away, leading her down the path. At the end of the path, close to the water's edge, a picnic rug had been set out, Rachel could see a stuffed hamper, champagne on ice and even some candles.

"When did you organise all this? We only decided to come out tonight earlier today"

"I had some help"

"Who? And don't say Steph!" She giggled.

"My friend Paul owns a deli so the food is his handiwork and my cousin, Mark, is the park ranger here so he did this, he indicated to the lanterns adorning the trees. All I really did was make a couple of phone calls and get you here at the right time"

"Well, you did that brilliantly, it's perfect Eddie but I do have one question"

"Go on"

"Why am I wearing one of my best dresses to sit on a rug?" She raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"That's simply for my benefit" he winked.

Rachel laughed, he had a way of making her feel so special.

"Come on, let's get this show on the road" he said excitedly.

She watched as he busied himself pouring drinks and unpacking the hamper, the food looked amazing, she sat down next to him and he raised his glass in a toast.

"To us" he grinned

"To us" she repeated, a similar expression on her own face.

Desperate to know every detail about each other, they enjoyed their food in between a million questions, learning the smallest things about each other. Rachel discovered that Eddie's favourite toy as a child had been a yellow tractor he'd been given for Christmas when he was seven and the small scar above his left eyebrow was caused when he'd tried to ride his bike down a flight of stone steps when he was twelve. Eddie found out that Rachel's first day as a teacher was a complete disaster and that she nearly didn't come back for day two, he smiled as she talked about happier times, before things had gotten difficult at home. He listened as she fondly remembered the summer months she'd spent with her Grandmother in Edinburgh, sitting in the garden, drinking lemonade and making daisy chains. She knew his favourite colour was green and he knew that she'd been 30 before she'd plucked up the courage to get her ears pierced.

Once they had exhausted all lines of questioning, at least for the time being, she lay in his arms looking up at the stars. Eddie wasn't looking at the stars, he was looking at Rachel, in fact, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her all night and it was then that he noticed a single tear fall from the corner of her eye, he leant forwards and kissed it away.

"What's wrong Rach?" the concern was evident in his voice.

"I was just thinking how wonderful tonight has been and how we almost never got here, I nearly pushed you away again Eddie and I am so sorry"

"Rachel, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, the important thing is that we did make it here and no matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere"

She smiled at him before propping herself up on her elbow to kiss him.

"Rach, you're shivering, let's head back"

"They packed up the picnic things and headed back to the car, they drove back to Rachel's house in a happy silence, though she didn't take her hand off his knee for the whole journey. They pulled into her driveway and not wanting to push his luck, Eddie didn't move, he needed her to know that he was happy to do this on her terms, at her pace.

"Coffee?"

It was only one word but it was all the signal he needed as he nodded and got out of the car, running round to open her side for her. He locked up the car as she unlocked the door. After hanging up their jackets, Eddie sat on one of the stools at her breakfast bar as she made them both a coffee, both thinking to themselves how surprisingly natural it felt. Taking their coffee through to the sitting room, they cuddled up on the sofa and watched the news. Coffee finished, Eddie stood up and took their cups back through to the kitchen, Rachel followed.

"Thanks for tonight, Rachel, it's been great"

"It's me that should be thanking you" she replied "all I did was turn up"

"No, you did so much more than that, you let me in Rach" he said, coming over and drawing her into his warm embrace.

Back in the hallway where their evening had begun, only a few short hours ago, Eddie leaned in for a goodnight kiss, but was stopped by Rachel putting both hands on his chest, holding his gaze for a few seconds.

"Eddie, stay?" She said, running her hands from his chest, down his arms and taking his hands as she led him silently upstairs.


	10. Chapter 10 We're an us!

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

_**Wrote this in the sun! Hope you enjoy!**_

**CHAPTER 10 – We're _'an us'!_**

It was Sunday afternoon and Eddie And Rachel had decided to have an afternoon out, they'd driven a couple of hours from Rochdale and were enjoying lunch in a country pub. Taking Rachel's hand in both of his, Eddie spoke.

"Do you realise that tomorrow we will have been _an us _for exactly 3 months?"

She smiled at him, about 6 weeks after they'd decided to make a go of things they'd been trying to define exactly what was going on between them. Eddie had felt that dating was too casual and Rachel felt that saying they were in a relationship put too much pressure on them, she also hated referring to Eddie as her boyfriend, thinking it made her sound like a teenager and she felt that she was too old to be someone's girlfriend, on the other hand, partner didn't sound right either. That night they'd decided that they were both happy being _an us _and had used the term ever since.

"How could I forget"

It was so true, the past few months had been the happiest of her life, they'd had some great and memorable dates. Rachel had taken Eddie to a line dancing class, she'd felt guilty for teasing him about the country music, and was surprised by how much she'd enjoyed herself, poor Eddie didn't have her co-ordination though. Eddie had taken her to see Les Miserables in Manchester and held her hand as she cried through most of it, she'd loved it and she's loved him for taking her, it really wasn't his cup of tea. They'd been to the cinema, had meals out, stayed in with a take away, they'd played tennis – Rachel won, Eddie was mad!, they'd played Monopoly – Eddie won, Rachel was furious! They'd had a truly wonderful few months.

They had adapted to being a couple easily, it felt very natural to them both though, like in every relationship, there were little things that annoyed them about each other. Eddie was often frustrated by Rachel's obsession with doing things by the book, she would only get her car serviced by the dealer, despite Eddie telling her it was a rip off and she always wanted things done in a particular way, Eddie had been doing the washing up one night and was putting the last couple of glasses away when she started telling him off for putting them in the cupboard the right way up, she always stored the glasses upside down, she'd then checked everything else he'd put away to make sure it was done right. Eddie had told her it was like having his mother checking he'd washed behind his ears which earned him her best death stare and silent treatment for at least an hour! Rachel sometimes found his easygoing nature exasperating, last Friday she'd asked if he wanted to go out or stay in, he said he didn't mind, he was happy doing whatever she preferred, she'd decided to stay in and asked him whether he wanted to cook or order in, he said he didn't mind either way, she'd decided she couldn't be bothered cooking so had asked whether he fancied Indian or Chinese, he replied that he wasn't fussed and would have whatever she was having. So when she'd asked what DVD he wanted to watch and he'd said he wasn't bothered and that she should choose, she'd nearly thumped him!

"Do you know Eddie, sometimes you drive me up the wall but these past few months have been amazing, I love you!"

"Ditto" he replied, giving her a quick peck before going to the bar to pay their bill. This was another thing that annoyed her, he wouldn't let her pay for anything despite the fact that she was his boss and earned more than he did! She'd learned not to argue with him on this, he wasn't so easy going when he passionately believed in something and taking care of her was something he truly believed in.

They'd just about managed to keep things professional at work, though they had to admit to a few stolen moments in her office, during the day their relationship was very much Miss Mason & Mr Lawson and they'd made a pact early on not to talk about work too much at home, but evenings, weekend and holidays allowed them to be Rachel & Eddie. They'd also managed to keep their relationship to themselves, the only member of staff who knew was Tom, though Rachel had her suspicions that he'd told Davina who kept giving her knowing looks whenever Eddie was around, not that Rachel minded, after all, she'd told Eddie when she'd found out that Jasmine and Rob had been dating.

Coming back from the bar, Eddie sat down again.

"Rach?"

"Mm hm?"

"How would you feel if we started to tell people about us?"

"I've got no problems with it, I'm proud there's _an us _to tell people about! I just don't know how best to do it"

"We could mention it at the staff briefing" he said, the shook his head "nah, stupid idea, we don't want to announce it like we would a school inspection"

"We could just tell Steph" she offered

"No, though I've no doubt the news would spread like wild fire, I don't fancy being the subject of the gossip, you know as well as I do that it always gets out of hand and the rumour mill goes into overdrive!

"We've got the mid-term staff do coming up, we could just go as Eddie & Rachel and not the head and deputy?"

"That's a better plan, they can come to their own conclusions and when they ask questions, which they undoubtedly will, we can just be honest"

"True, that's the staff taken care of, what about the students"

"It's really none of their business but if you insist, I could just kiss you in front of them all in assembly" he grinned

"Subtle Eddie" she teased "but seriously, they're going to find out eventually"

"Why don't we just get the staff sorted first then we can think about the students"

"OK" she replied, taking hold of the hand he offered as they left the pub and headed home.

It was the last day of school before the mid-term break and both the students and the staff were excited, the students looking forward to a few days of freedom, Miss Mason had promised there would be no homework much to Mr Lawson's despair. Some of the teachers were all looking forward to their night out, funded by a weekly kitty that some of them opted in to, the dinner followed by a comedy club and drinks was set to be good fun.

Although she had the facilities to do so in her office, on days like today Rachel liked to get her coffee from the staffroom, there was always a buzz about the place on the last day of term, plus Eddie was at a course all day, so she had no reason to stay holed up in her office.

"Gracing us with your presence Miss Mason, to what do we owe the honour? Muttered Grantley

"Just thought I'd come down and check that everyone's still on for tonight?" Most of those going nodded at her.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Grantley muttered into his tea.

"Oh, shut up Grantley!" Steph said as she threw herself down next to him almost sending his tea flying. "It's not like you to turn your nose up at the opportunity for a drink" Jasmine and Matt who were sat nearby burst into fits of laughter as Grantley's expression became even more thunderous.

The girls had all gathered at one side of the room discussing their outfits and giggling as Davina told them how she was trying to get Tom to wear a tie that matched the dress she'd chosen, he was still refusing but she'd not given up.

"Hey Rachel, you don't live far from me, do you want to share a cab?" asked Steph

Rachel didn't want to lie but wanted Eddie with her when the news broke.

"Sorry Steph, I'm not going home first, I've got a few things to tie up here and a few errands to run"

"No worries, we can share one home"

Just then Rachel's mobile rang and she smiled when she saw his number flash up on the screen, saved by the bell!

"Hi Eddie" blushing slightly as she left the room to talk to him

"You ok?" he asked

"Yeah, just been in the staffroom and Steph wanted to share a cab later"

"Oh, what did you say?"

"Just that I wasn't going home first, she said she wanted to share one home but you rang so I didn't have to answer!"

"Good timing! Well, they'll all know soon enough and then we can just tell them the truth"

"How's the course going?"

"It's so dull! Remind me again why I'm here representing Waterloo Road when all the others are the head teachers of their schools"

"Because I went last year and was bored to tears"

"I'll get you back for that later!" he warned. She laughed.

"Were you phoning for a reason Eddie?"

"Charming!"

"You know I didn't mean it like that, it's just that I've got Danielle Harker's father waiting for me in my office, he's not happy about something!"

"What's new! And yes, I was phoning for a reason! I've booked us a hotel in Manchester for tonight to save us having to stay sober and drive home, I just wanted to let you know to pack some overnight things"

"That'll be lovely Eddie, thanks. See you later"

"Love you"

"You too, bye"

"Bye"


	11. Chapter 11 Going Public

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 11 – Going Public**

Rachel had already left some stuff at Eddie's earlier in the week so she didn't need to go home, to be honest, half of her stuff was here anyway, just like half of his stuff was at hers. She was just putting some toiletries in her bag when Eddie arrived home, she called downstairs to him.

"Eddie, is that you?"

"No, think it maybe used to be but I've had the life sucked out of me by the dullest course on Earth!" He responded, Rachel rolled her eyes.

"You're such a drama queen!" she teased.

By now, he'd come upstairs and into his bedroom where she was packing, he put his arms around her and kissed her neck, she breathed in his scent, he smelled of aftershave and coffee.

"Well, you certainly smell like Eddie and I like it!" she said, turning round and planting a kiss on his lips which he willingly accepted. They really missed each other when they didn't see each other all day at school, especially as the nature of their jobs meant that they usually spent a lot of time together.

"Do that again" he said

"Do what?"

"Kiss me, I can slowly feel myself coming back to life"

She laughed, pulling him into a passionate clinch, pulling away only when she ran out of air.

"We better get a move on"

"Do we have to?" He groaned into her hair.

"Yes we do, I'm going for shower" She said, picking up a couple of towels and heading towards the bathroom. Eddie followed her out into the hall.

"In that case, can we at least make it interesting?" he smirked, one eyebrow raised, he put his hands on her waist and spun her round to face him.

"Eddie..." She started but he soon silenced her protests with a kiss he knew she couldn't resist, pushing her backwards through the bathroom door and closing it behind them.

Emerging, slightly flushed, a while later Rachel checked the time.

"Oh my God, Eddie, get a move on, we're going to be late" she shouted to him.

Rachel and Eddie hurriedly got ready, moving around each other in perfect synch. Eddie choosing smart jeans and a casual blue shirt with a fine, self coloured check running through it. Rachel, also in jeans, had chosen a pink top and a fitted black blazer which nipped in, showing off her small waist. Their outfits complimented each other without matching. Eddie sat on the bed putting his shoes on as Rachel dried her hair, then he watched as she applied her make up, he preferred her without but like all women, she never believed him.

"Ready to face the world as _an us?_" he asked

"As I'll ever be!"

"Rach?"

"Mm hm?"

"Have I told you today how much I love you?"

"Once or twice!" She grinned

"Just checking" he'd vowed to himself to tell her how special she was and how much she meant to him every day.

"You know the feeling is mutual, right?"

"Right" he grinned, kissing her before getting into the driver's side of her silver Audi.

As usual, a combination of Eddie's driving and Rachel saying they were late when they weren't meant that they were actually a half hour early, despite stopping to drop their bags off at the hotel, so they went for a drink in the pub next door to the restaurant that had been booked for dinner.

Matt lived a bit further away from Rochdale than the others so had gone back to Steph's after school, their cab pulled up outside the pub and as Matt paid the driver, Steph clocked Eddie and Rachel through the window.

"Matt! Look!" She said gleefully, repeatedly patting his arm until he looked to where she was pointing.

"What?"

"It's Eddie and Rachel!"

"So?"

"They're in the pub together!"

"And?"

"They're in the pub _TOGETHER!"_

"They're just having a drink Steph, keep your knickers on!"

"Bet she hasn't!"

"Steph!" Matt rolled his eyes and turned her in the direction of the restaurant just in time for her to miss seeing Eddie and Rachel finishing their drinks and Eddie guiding Rachel towards the door with his hand on her lower back. He was thankful Steph hadn't seen or he'd never hear the end of it but he wondered to himself if perhaps there was some truth in her speculations. They entered the restaurant before Eddie and Rachel had left the pub and were greeted by Tom and Davina who were waiting inside with Jasmine, Rob, Kim & Grantley. Tom had obviously given in to Davina's wish for him to wear a matching tie and was currently bemoaning the fact to Rob that not only was he the only one wearing a tie but that it matched his girlfriend's dress.

Eddie and Rachel entered the restaurant and joined the group, they were holding hands but as it was quite busy no one noticed. The waiter came and showed them to their table and they all sat down. Eddie pulling Rachel's seat out for her, subconsciously turning it very slightly towards his own.

"Eddie, you're quite the gentleman" Jasmine complimented

"Yeah, quit it, you're showing the rest of us up" added Tom, grinning at Rachel.

"Leave him alone" Rachel defended, giving his elbow a squeeze.

Steph kept giving Matt knowing looks, winking at him and indicating towards Eddie and Rachel with her head. Matt just rolled his eyes in response and mouthed the words 'just friends' to her.

"Steph, is there something wrong?" Rachel asked, noticing that the blonde was acting even stranger than normal.

"No, nothing. Just trying to catch the waiter's attention, I'm dying on a drink!"

Just then a waiter appeared and started taking their drinks order, out of habit, Eddie automatically ordered a pint for him and a glass of red wine for Rachel, who smiled in thanks as Steph elbowed Matt in the ribs causing him to squeal. Rachel and Eddie exchanged glances, Eddie shaking his head as Rachel rolled her eyes.

Once their drinks had arrived and they'd ordered their dinner, they all fell into their own conversations. Tom and Rob were dissecting the previous evening's Champions League Final, Jasmine and Davina were talking about the latest Hollywood star to go into rehab, Matt was listening to Grantley complain about the youth of today, Kim had gone to the loo so Steph, unusually, wasn't talking. She was fixated on watching Eddie and Rachel, who were deep in conversation, oblivious to the world around them. She was looking for signs that they were something more than just friends, everyone knew they'd become closer since the fire but Steph was wondering if they'd taken it further. She watched as Rachel threw her head back and laughed at something he'd said, she was transfixed when Eddie leant forward and whispered something in Rachel's ear causing her to blush. 'Damn it' thought Steph to herself, she could see the chemistry, hell, it could've been seen from Mars without a telescope, but still she had nothing concrete. Then there it was, she couldn't believe it!

Eddie reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Rachel's eyes, she put her hand on his thigh and then locking eyes, Eddie leaned across and kissed her on the lips. It was a quick kiss but it was enough to cause Steph to start to choke, of course, it happened just as she'd taken a gulp of white wine. Steph's coughing and spluttering had caught the attention of all the others but it was only when she started turning purple that Matt poured her a glass of water and patted her on the back. She composed herself as Kim returned to the table, Jasmine asked if she was ok.

"Didn't any of you see?" They all stared at her blankly

"See what?" asked Matt

"Them, kissing!"

"Who was kissing?" asked Kim

"Them, Eddie and Rachel" she said, pointing at the guilty party.

"Not that again! Steph, you're seeing things, no more wine for you!" said Matt, rolling his eyes

"No seriously, didn't any of you see?"

"Steph! They're sitting right there" said Jasmine "It's one thing to speculate but do you need to be so brazen about it?!"

"Eddie, Rachel, help me out here, were you or were you not kissing?"

Eddie and Rachel looked at each other, no one could deny the electricity as their eyes met, Rachel blushed.

"Leave it, Steph! You're embarrassing them" said Kim, glaring at the French teacher but turning back to the table she noticed the other teachers staring open mouthed and eyes agog as Eddie and Rachel, who'd never taken their eyes off each other, leaned in for another, this time longer, kiss.

"See, I told you so!" Steph gloated.

Eddie and Rachel pulled apart to a round of applause from their colleagues and grinned at each other.

"I think they know Rach"

"I think you're right" She said, lacing her fingers in between his as she took his hand.

_**Reviews please?! xx**_


	12. Chapter 12 A place called home

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 12 – A place called home**

Rachel awoke and looked at the clock, 3.24am. She looked around the dark room, unable to get her bearings at first, she reached out expecting to feel Eddie sleeping beside her, the duvet was warm but Eddie wasn't there. She cocked her head to one side, listening for him, she heard the tap running in the kitchen and realised that he must be getting a drink. She heard him padding back up the stairs, trying to avoid the creaky one, second from the top, so as not to wake her, she smiled at his thoughtfulness. As he opened the door, a shaft of light spread across the bedroom, it fell across Rachel's face, showing Eddie that she was awake.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I don't think so, but hurry up and get back in, I'm getting cold"

Eddie closed the door behind him and started to make his way across to the bed.

"OUCH!" he yelled, making Rachel jump.

"Eddie, what is it? Are you ok?" she asked, sitting up and turning on the lamp on the table beside her. The light revealed Eddie hopping around, clutching his left foot.

"Stubbed my toe on one of these god-damned boxes!" He growled.

Rachel really felt for him, she'd done the same earlier in the day and it had hurt like hell but the sight of him jumping around, hanging on to his foot, wearing only his boxer shorts was so comical that she had to stifle a giggle.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"I'm sorry Eddie but you look so funny hopping about" She grinned.

"I can't believe you're laughing at me, after all, it's all your fault!"

"How so?" she asked, puzzled.

"Well, it was you who agreed to move in to this place in the middle of a school term when we've no time to unpack properly!"

"Don't blame me, we had too! It was a condition of the sales and we _both_ agreed to it. Anyway, I believe those are your boxes that you were going to put in the study before you were distracted"

"A-ha!" he exclaimed "and that's the reason it's all your fault!"

Rachel looked at him blankly, shaking her head at him.

"If you weren't so damn sexy, then I wouldn't have been so easily distracted!" he grinned, getting back under the covers.

Rachel laughed. "I've always said you were far to easily distracted"

"Hey!" he said , giving her a gentle shove before turning his back to her and settling back down to sleep.

Rachel turned the lamp off and snuggled up behind him, she kissed his shoulder and snaked her hands around his waist, he turned to face her and was greeted with a kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked, smiling.

"To distract you from the pain in your foot. Did it work?"

"A little but it still hurts"

"Well, we'll need to do something about that!" she grinned and kissed him again.

It had been around 8 months after they'd gotten together that Rachel and Eddie had first talked about moving in together. They were spending every night together any way so paying two mortgages and two sets of bills seemed silly and as they arrived back to Rachel's after another day of school, Eddie realised that he hadn't been 'home' in around 3 weeks, not even to pick up his mail!

Rachel had asked Eddie to move in to her house and though he wanted nothing more than to live with her, he didn't want to feel as if he was living in her house. Rachel completely understood, she knew that she wouldn't want to move in to Eddie's place so they'd decided to sell up and buy somewhere together.

They'd viewed what seemed like a million places from brand new, modern apartments to draughty old town houses before the estate agent had shown them this house before it even went on the market. She was the same agent Eddie had used when he'd bought his own place after divorcing Allison and luckily for them, she seemed to have taken a shine to Eddie, so much so, that Rachel felt the need to have some sort of physical contact with Eddie whenever she was around. Eddie teased her mercilessly over her jealousy but was secretly pleased and later, when they were alone he reassured her that she had no competition and she did the same when he'd had a touch of the green-eyed monster when he caught their solicitor checking her out the day they'd gone to collect their keys.

The house was about 20 minutes drive from Waterloo Road, which suited them both, it was close enough to be able to deal with any school-related drama quickly buy far enough away that they could shake off the day's stresses during the drive home. It was a detached, two storey house, set back from the main road, the front was paved giving them plenty room to park both their cars and it had a well tended garden to the rear. Inside, the ground floor consisted of a sitting room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom and conservatory. The master bedroom, with it's ensuite was located at the front of the first floor, looking out on to the quiet, leafy street, the main bathroom was was just down the hall and there were a further two bedrooms at the back of the house. Not really needing the extra bedrooms, Eddie had suggested that they each had a study but Rachel had other ideas, she'd insisted that they share a study and that the other room was Michael's. Eddie loved her for that especially as Allison was being so difficult at the moment and had decided that she didn't want her son around someone with Rachel's past, even if that meant, he wasn't around Eddie either. Rachel, to her credit, had been extremely gracious about the whole thing and had told Eddie not to risk his relationship with his son for her, she knew how important it was for them to have each other in their lives.

Later, when the pain in Eddie's foot had long been forgotten about, they'd fallen asleep, limbs entwined with smiles playing on their lips, this was their first night in their new house , a place they could both call home!


	13. Chapter 13 DIY

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 13 – DIY**

It was finally the weekend, after an unbelievably long week at Waterloo road which had seen a leaking roof, the resignation of not one, but two, teachers and an unexpected LEA inspection. Rachel had forced Eddie out of bed early and he'd only forgiven her for it when she agreed to cook him a full English breakfast. They'd spent the morning unpacking the remaining few boxes to prevent further injury.

They'd already decorated most of the rooms but still had the dining room and kitchen to do, Rachel was eager to get it all finished and had convinced Eddie to go to the only place worse than Tesco on a Saturday afternoon, B&Q, to get the things they needed for painting the two rooms.

Arriving in the car park, they pulled up near the front of the store, Rachel sent Eddie to get a trolley while she locked the car, popped to the cash machine and met him at the entrance. Pushing the trolley through the automatic doors, Eddie knew exactly what do to, he turned left and walked to the far end of the store. Rachel did this in every shop she went in to, from supermarkets to clothes shops, she had to walk up and down every single aisle even if what she needed was right in front of her. At first, it had driver Eddie mad, he didn't understand and thought it was a waste of time, he confronted her over it one night after he'd dropped her outside Tesco to pop in and get a bottle of wine and she'd eventually emerged half an hour later. She'd explained that it was a habit she'd developed years ago when her life was on a downward spiral, it was one thing she could control and the habit had stayed with her. Eddie never mentioned it again and Rachel always thanked him for understanding with a quick kiss whenever they left a store, she knew it drove him crazy.

When they finally reached the paint aisle, Eddie was cursing the wonky wheel on the trolley as he battled to keep it going in a straight line. They'd spent a lot of time recently debating colour schemes and pouring over paint charts but they'd eventually agreed on an olive green for the dining room and a sunny yellow for the kitchen. Eddie lifted the tins of green into the trolley as Rachel looked for the yellow.

"How many tins will we need for the kitchen, Eddie?"

"I think 3 will do it" he replied from the other end of the aisle.

"There are only two left" Rachel said as a member of staff walked by.

"Excuse me, could you check if you have any more of this colour in stock?" she asked the older man.

"I'm just off for a cuppa but if you don't mind waiting a few minutes, I'll get one of the Saturday lads to check" he replied.

"Not at all and thank you!" Rachel smiled back at him as he scuttled off to get one of the kids to help.

Rachel continued looking at the paint charts, amazed by how many shades of white you could get, as Eddie picked up the brushes and rollers they would need, they'd had to get rid of the ones they'd bought when they did the other rooms as Eddie had forgotten to clean them before going to bed one night and the paint had dried rendering them useless.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" Eddie grumbled as he pushed the trolley towards Rachel, bringing it to a stop alongside where she was standing, he pushed it up against the shelves and leant against it crossing his arms.

"Oh Eddie, stop being such a grump!" She said, walking over to him and unfolding his arms and putting both hands on his chest. She was wearing heels and he was slouching so their eyes were level.

"Decorating your first home together is meant to be fun and so far, you've moaned about how busy it is, how there are a million places you'd rather be, the wonky trolley and now how long they're taking! Please just relax and let's enjoy this!" She looked him in the eye, his expression still clouded with grumpiness, widening her eyes she said "Please Eddie, for me?" She knew he couldn't resist that, he'd do anything for her and as she continued to look into his eyes, she felt his hands move from his sides to her hips, she saw his eyes crinkle at the corners and a smile spread across his face. She knew she'd coaxed him out of his mood and leaned towards him.

Right at that moment, the Saturday kid sent with their paint, came round the corner and was faced with the sight of the head and depute head teachers of his high school kissing in the paint aisle. This Saturday kid was none other than Bolton Smilie.

"Woah! No way, man!" He exclaimed as Rachel and Eddie sprang apart.

"When Jim said there was a couple waiting for this and told me to get a move on, I never expected to see you two!"

"Bolton!" Rachel was lost for words

"Alright, Miss Mason?" he smirked.

"Yes, thank you Bolton" She smiled

"Mr Lawson" he acknowledge Eddie with a nod and a wink

"Good to see you're behaving yourself Bolton. How long have you worked here?" Eddie questioned

"Good to see you're not Sir! Been here for a few months now, I work Thursday nights and Saturdays, saving to buy a car"

"Good for you Bolton. Now is that our paint?" Rachel asked

"Yes Miss" he replied as Eddie took the tin from him and put it in the trolley.

"So are you two, like, together?"

"That's not really any of your business, is it?" Scolded Eddie

"Ah, don't be embarrassed Sir, Miss Mason's fit! You're not denying it though, you're together, right?" he pushed

"Yes Bolton, Mr Lawson and I are in a relationship, though we don't want to be the subject of playground gossip, do you understand me?" Rachel didn't see the point in pretending otherwise, lots of the kids suspected it anyway and she certainly didn't expect Bolton to keep it to himself to keep it to himself but she had to, at least, be seen to be exerting her authority.

"Good on you, Sir!" he winked at Eddie, giving him a congratulatory slap on the back.

"That's enough now, you'd better get back to work and we've got painting to do" Rachel and Eddie turned to do the last few aisles before the cash desk leaving Bolton standing in the paint aisle already texting the news to his mates.

"Well, I guess that means the kids know now too!" Eddie said.

"I guess it does" Rachel agreed, she could only imagine the whistling, giggling and nudging that she and Eddie would be faced with come Monday.

"Come on then, let's get home and get started and I promise that if you catch me moaning about anything else, I'll cook dinner all week!" he grinned at her.

As they left the store, Rachel turned and gave Eddie a quick kiss before getting into the car and driving home.


	14. Chapter 14 A dilemma and a solution

**Firstly, sorry it's taken so long to get this next update up, I hit writer's block and then work got really crazy and I've not had a minute to myself until now. It's back on track though and this is a lovely long chapter for you all. Secondly, thanks to all those who have continued to read this story despite the delay in the updates, your feedback means so much!**

**WHEN I FALL AT YOUR FEET**

**CHAPTER 14 – A DILEMMA AND A SOLUTION**

Rachel left the house at 8.00, alone for the third day that week. Eddie was accompanying Steph and a group of students on an educational trip to Toulouse in France. It was another two days to go before he would get back ans she was missing him like crazy even though he'd been phoning a couple of times a day, usually when he was trying to avoid Steph! Pulling into her usual parking bay, Rachel got out the car, collected her bag and laptop from the back seat, took a deep breath and made her way to her office, ready to face another day. She was secretly hoping for a quiet day, she had a mountain of paperwork to finish before the end of term.

Eddie, meanwhile, was just ushering the last of the kids on to the coach for that day's excursion to a local vineyard, usually ten 17-year-olds and wine didn't mix well, especially when those kids were Waterloo Road pupils so he was not looking forward to the day ahead and Steph's constant flirting with their driver, Jean-Marc, wasn't helping. He was really missing Rachel too, since getting together over a year ago, they'd never spent more than one night apart and it was killing him.

Back in Rochdale, Bridget, Rachel's secretary, came into the office in a bit of a fluster.

"Bridget, is everything ok?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure Rachel, there's an Allison Lawson on the phone looking for Eddie, she says it's an emergency!" She answered.

"Eddie's away on the France trip but I'll speak to her, just put her through"

"Thanks Rachel, I'll just be a sec" Bridget left the office, closing the door behind her.

When the phone rang in her office, Rachel took a deep breath and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Rachel Mason speaking"

"Oh! I was looking for Eddie Lawson" came the response.

Knowing very well who she was speaking to and the contempt the caller had shown towards her over the past year, Rachel continued.

"I'm sorry, he's on a school trip in France until Friday, can I help?"

"Damn it! Shit! What the hell am I going to do?" Allison replied, her voice breaking.

Realising the woman on the other end of the phone was clearly upset and hearing the anxiety in her voice, Rachel softened.

"Allison, look, I know you're not my number one fan but if whatever it is that's bothering you as you swearing down the phone at me, it must be serious, so just tell me what it is and I can help"

"I'm sorry Rachel, my head's all over the place. I really needed Eddie to collect Michael from the child minder this afternoon and keep him overnight. My father has had a suspected heart attack and my Mum is going to pieces. I need to get to London as soon as possible, I'm an only child, you see, so there's no one else and I can't cope with Dad ill, Mum in a state and Michael running round my feet. I just don't know what to do. Normally the child minder would just keep him over night, she's good like that, but she's going on holiday tonight so she can't and I don't know what to do" Allison babbled nervously.

"Ok Allison, calm down and take a breath, you're no use to anyone in that state. Now listen, here's what we'll do. You give me the name, number & address of the child minder and what time Michael's to be collected and I'll go and get him. I know you're not happy about me spending time with him but you don't really have a choice. He knows me and we'll be fine, I'll keep him overnight, it's really no problem. You call the child minder so she knows to expect me, I wouldn't expect her to hand him over to a complete stranger and I'll call Eddie. Phone me back once it's all sorted then just focus on your Dad and, for God's sake Allison, drive safely!".

"I don't know, Michael's never spend the night away from either me or Eddie..." Allison was hesitant.

"Don't worry, Michael and I get on fine and I've plenty of experience with kids" she laughed.

"Any way, I'm sure Eddie will cut the trip short and if he's not there when Michael goes to sleep, he definitely will be when he wakes up"

"Ok, I guess I don't have a choice. Thanks Rachel!"

After getting the details of the child minder and swapping mobile numbers with Allison, the two women hung up. Rachel phoned through to Bridget and asked her to cancel her afternoon meeting and advised her that she'd be leaving early, she had a quick word with Tom Clarkson then made a coffee and sat back down to call Eddie, he answered almost immediately.

"This is a nice surprise, you bored doing paperwork already?" he teased.

"Hi Eddie, no not bored, I've just had a call from Allison" she explained.

"Is Michael ok? What's wrong?"

"Don't worry, darling, Michael's fine. Allison's father has had a heart attack and her mum's not coping well so she's needed in London. She was calling to ask you to collect Michael from the child minder"

"Oh what a shame. There's no way I can collect him though, even if I leave now by the time I get a flight, it'll be too late"

"Don't worry, I've got it in hand, I'm going to collect him and take him back to ours tonight, we'll be fine but I do think you should come back as soon as you can, he's not used to being without you or Allison"

"Of course, I'll get right on it. What about Steph? She can't handle this lot on her own, they'll run riot!"

"That's sorted too, Tom's going to fly out this afternoon for the rest of the trip, she'll only have to cope for a few hours and I'm sure they'll be fine, just make sure you put the fear of God into them before you leave!"

"Oh, I'll do better than that! I'll put the fear of Rachel Mason into them!" That'll surely do the trick! Any way, I'd better go and get organised, I'll call you once I know what's happening"

"Ok, speak soon"

"Ok and Rach? Thanks for sorting everything out! I love you!"

"It's no problem, my love, it's my pleasure and I love you too! Bye!"

Eddie called back about an hour later, he'd managed to book a flight from Toulouse to Manchester later that evening, he'd get home about eleven. Allison called to say she'd explained everything to Sandra, the child minder and that she was expecting Rachel at two o'clock.

After arranging cover for Tom & Eddie and finishing up one or two urgent pieces of paperwork, Rachel packer her things back into her car and drove back to the house she shared with Eddie to swap her Audi for Eddie's Volvo which had the child seat fitted. She then made the ten minute journey to the child minder's house to collect Michael. She parked at the gate, walked up the path and rang the doorbell. A grey-haired woman in her 60s answered the door after a minute or two.

"Hello, can I help you?" She asked

"Sandra, I presume? Rachel Mason. I've come to collect Michael Lawson" Rachel explained as she extended her arm and shook the older lady's hand.

"Oh, of course, Allison said to expect you, come on in, Michaels in the playroom with Isaac, another wee one I mind, he's a bit older than our Michael though, he's just turned six"

Rachel followed Sandra through the house, smiling at the obvious affection she had for the boys. Entering the playroom, she caught sight of Michael sitting on a rug playing with some toy cars with an older boy whom she assumed was Isaac, the boys looked up as the two women entered the room. Not until that moment had Rachel thought that Michael bore such a striking resemblance to Eddie, but when she saw those beautiful brown eyes smiling up at her, she couldn't believe that she'd never seen it before.

"Rachel!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around her knees in a hug that nearly sent Rachel hurtling into the toy chest behind her, though Allison wasn't keen on Rachel spending time with the child, they had met on a few occasions and had always gotten on fine. Rachel adored the little boy.

"Woah! Easy tiger! She laughed, ruffling his hair. "You ready to go?" Michael just nodded. Sandra, meanwhile, had collected his things and handed his Bob the Builder backpack to Rachel once she'd finished zipping up Michael's coat.

Once Rachel had Michael strapped into the booster seat and they were on their way, she asked him about his day and found out that Sandra had taken him to the park earlier before they picked Isaac up from school.

"Are we going to my house?" the little boy asked.

"No Michael, we're going to mine & Daddy's house, Mummy had to go on a very important trip!"

"Oh ok" he replied then continued singing a song about raindrops that Sandra had taught him earlier.

Rachel pulled into the driveway and collected Michael and his things from the back seat, she opened the door and set down the backpack at the foot of the stairs as Michael ran, first to the living room, then to the kitchen before reappearing at her feet as she took her jacket off. He looked confused and asked in a shaky voice:

"Rachel, where's Daddy?" His bottom lip started to quiver.

Rachel dropped to her knees and stroked the little boy's cheek.

"Daddy is on his way back to see you, sweetheart, but he was very far away. He'll be here when you wake up the morning though, I promise. I know you miss Mummy & Daddy very much but you can talk to Mummy on the telephone later and see Daddy in the morning, ok?"

"OK" Michael answered in a small voice that tugged on Rachel's heart strings.

"Now, how about we get some juice and biscuits and have some fun?!"

Excited at the prospect, Michael vigorously nodded yes and pulled Rachel to the kitchen. She fixed them both a drink and planned their afternoon. Rachel, being as she was, had prepared for having Michael, she'd borrowed some paper and paints from Kim Campbell before leaving the school earlier so they had painted some pictures, Michael had wanted to draw a picture of his family and had asked Rachel to help, they'd drawn Michael in the middle, flanked on either side by Allison and Eddie. Rachel had to choke back tears when he'd insisted they put her in the picture too, though she was sure Allison wouldn't be as thrilled when she saw it! Michael helped Rachel bake some cookies for him to surprise Eddie with the following day.

Later, after they'd had some dinner and Michael had spoken to his Mum on the phone, Michael played with a toy robot that Eddie had bought for his room whilst Rachel replied to a few e-mails that had arrived that afternoon. Rachel had bathed Michael and gotten him ready for bed. Snuggled under the rocket print duvet, Rachel read him a story and he fell asleep. Rachel turned on the night light and tiptoed down the stairs. Not wanting the sound of the TV to wake him, Rachel made herself a cup of tea and settled down to read a book. She was enjoying the peace and quiet and was really getting into the story when Michael appeared at the door about an hour later.

"Rachel, I can't sleep" he said sleepily rubbing his eyes

"But you were sleeping already, angel, what's wrong?"

"I want my Daddy" he cried.

"Oh, don't cry Michael, Daddy will be here when you wake up in the morning, come one, let's go upstairs, I'll lay with you until you go to sleep"

"Ok Rachel" he replied, leader her by the hand back to his room.

A number of hours later, a taxi drew up outside the house, Eddie got out and paid the driver. He quietly unlocked the door, stepped inside, leaving his shoes at the door, after all, it was 1.30 in the morning and he didn't want to wake Michael or Rachel. Dropping his bag at the foot of the stairs, he tiptoed through to the kitchen to get himself a drink but was surprised when he glanced into the sitting room to find the light on. It was unusual for Rachel to have gone to bed leaving it on, she was usually so regimented about switching everything off at night but he figured that she'd been expecting him hours ago and had left it on for him coming in. She had a thing that she didn't like him coming home to a cold or dark house so if she wasn't going to be there, she always made sure the timers were set on the heating and the light switches. He leaned into the room and switched it off, then continued into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it thirstily, flights always made him feel dehydrated. After draining the glass, Eddie rinsed in and set it to dry on the sideboard. Heading upstairs, Eddie's first stop was the bathroom where he washed his face and cleaned his teeth, he didn't want to disturb Rachel by using the ensuite. His next stop was Michael's room, he slowly opened the door, giving his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkened room. He looked over at the little single bed and his heart melted. Michael was sprawled out and was out for the count, snoring gently, next to him, laying on her side on the edge of the bed, was a sleeping Rachel. She had one arm bent up, supporting her head and the other protectively splayed across Michael's stomach. She was still dressed in her work clothes, minus the jacket which he'd noticed slung across the banister earlier, her shirt had ridden up just a fraction exposing the smallest glimpse of her midriff, she looked so relaxed and vulnerable.

He didn't want to startle her and so dropped to his knees beside the bed. With his left hand, he gently brushed the hair that had fallen over her face and his right hand with straight to the sliver of exposed skin along her waistband. Though asleep, Rachel instinctively moved at his touch and moved her hand from Michael's stomach to cover Eddie's. Leaning close to her ear, Eddie stroked her face and whispered

"Hey, Rach?" Rachel stirred, her eyes fluttered open and she looked at Eddie.

"Hey beautiful" he said again as Rachel tightened her grip on his hand and turned on to her back, taking care not to disturb Michael.

"Eddie, Hi! What time is it?" She said, pulling her self to a sitting position.

"Around 2am, the flight was delayed, I've only just got in" he explained whilst standing up, still holding her hand, he helped her to her feet and pulled her into his arms, Rachel slid her arms around his waist and they stood there completely still for a few minutes.

"God, I've missed you!" she whispered in his ear.

"And me, you. C'mon, let's go to bed" he said, pulling her towards the door

"Just a sec" she replied, turning back to the bed, she pulled the duvet up over Michael's sleeping form, pushed his blond curls off his face and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well angel" she whispered.

Eddie was already in bed by the time Rachel had brushed her teeth, taken off her make-up and changed. Rachel pulled back the duvet and slid into bed beside him. Before she knew it, Eddie had propped himself up on one elbow and leaned in to kiss her, tenderly at first then becoming more passionate. Rachel willing responded, only pulling away when the need for air became too great. Eddie didn't move, pressing his forehead to hers, he looked her straight in the eyes as she toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Wow! What was that for?" she grinned

"To say thank you for today" he pecked her lips

"To say thank you for dealing with Allison" he kissed her again

"To say thank you for being so amazing with Michael" another kiss

"To say thank you for being you" another peck

"and because I love you with all of my heart" unsurprisingly he caught her lips in another, this time, longer kiss.

"I didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't have done, Eddie" she responded

"Yes, you did. Not everyone would be so nice and helpful towards the woman who has spent the best part of a year putting them down and making them feel bad about themselves. Not everyone would be so calm and collected about the whole situation and not everyone could be so fantastic with my boy!"

"He's your son, Eddie, you love him so I love him"

"I know Rach, but what you did today was beyond the call of duty"

"That's just it though, today didn't feel like a duty, it was a pleasure, he's a great kid and I enjoyed spending some time alone with him"

"I love you, Rach" Eddie, said turning on to his back

"And I love you too" She responded, snuggling up to him, she put her head on his chest, wrapped an arm around his stomach and hooked her leg over his. Their breathing deepened and their relaxed muscles became heavier as they gave in to sleep.

The following morning, Rachel awoke to the sound of Michael's giggles, she looked at the clock on the bedside table, it ready 6.30am. Stretching her arms above her head, Rachel figured she could have another half hour before she had to get up but her plan was soon scuppered, as just then, Michael came into the room, clambered on to the bed and flung his arms around her neck.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" he singsonged

"Go away, you little monster, I'm too comfy!" She joked

Rachel still had her eyes closed and didn't notice his face fall.

"Rachel, you have to wake up, we made you breakfast!"

At this, Rachel opened her eyes just in time to see Eddie appear at the door laden down with a tray, some flowers and a newspaper.

"Oh, Michael, this is wonderful!" she enthused, pulling the little boy into a hug, from which he soon wriggles free.

"We've got eggs and toast and cereal and juice and coffee and flowers and a paper!" he grinned.

"Thank you Michael, it's just want I needed!" she praised.

"And thank you too, Eddie, this is lovely"

"Hope you don't mind, I know it's earlier than you would normally get up but I, I mean we, wanted to do something nice for you to thank you for yesterday!2

"You don't need to thank me Eddie, but I certainly don't mind being woken this way, you should do it more often" She said with a wink.

Rachel ate her breakfast, with some help from Eddie and flicked through the paper as Michael played on the rug next to the bed with some toy cars. She and Eddie were chatting, Eddie told her that Allison had called already to say that her Dad was going to be ok but could Michael stay with them until Sunday, he said he'd said yes and hoped it was ok with her.

"Of course it's ok Eddie, we'll have fun! But first I have to get ready for work" she groaned.

"I suppose we'd better, need to set a good example" he nodded towards Michael

"Oh no Eddie, you take the day off, spend some time with Michael, his child minder is on holiday and I've arranged cover for your classes any way"

"Why don't you stay home with us?" he smirked

"I'd love nothing more but I've a tonne of stuff to get through before the half term break next week, I don't want to have to work over the holidays"

"OK, but I'm coming in tomorrow and Friday. Michael can go into the creche and I'll help you with the paperwork because you are most definitely not working over the break, I have something planned for the birthday girl"

"What is it Eddie?" she asked

"Only time will tell Miss Mason, have patience" he teased before adding "and get out of bed you lazy sod, you're going to be late!!" he picked up the tray and walked towards the door. Rachel looked at the clock again, 7.30.

"Oh hell!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed and running to have a shower.


	15. Chapter 15 AN

**A/N – Eek! I had totally forgotten about this story and now I've remembered, I really want to finish it. Work is crazy for the next few weeks but then I have a few weeks off, I'll finish it then. It's only got one chapter left anyway which is half written somewhere. Thanks to everyone for the reviews :)**


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